This invention relates to a vehicle warning system. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle warning system which conveys a warning to the drivers in other vehicles traveling a predetermined distance behind that a potentially dangerous situation may exist.
Most vehicles are equipped with brake lights in the rear windshield to warn drivers immediately behind that the brakes are being applied. However, the traditional brake lights may not provide an adequate warning in a emergency situations. Especially when vehicles are traveling closely together and at high speeds, a driver sensing danger may not react in time, and as a result, steps on his brake with full force at the last moment. By the time the brake lights of the front vehicle illuminate, the driver in the following vehicle often do not have enough time to bring his vehicle to a safe stop and may result in an accident.
In addition, during less than ideal weather conditions such as fog, heavy snow, or rain, the brake lights of the front vehicle may not be visible to the drivers in the following vehicles. Even during an ideal weather condition, the brake lights are only visible to the driver in the vehicle immediately behind, and not visible to the vehicles further back. When traffic comes to a rapid stop, drivers relying only on the brake lights of the vehicle immediately in front, often have insufficient amount of time to apply their brakes and prevent a multiple vehicle collision.
A sufficient amount of warning time is critical in an emergency situation. The sooner a driver can be alerted to danger, the sooner he can take the necessary steps to stop safely. Thus, it is desirable to have a device that can convey warning without requiring the drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and is independent of the movement of the driver's foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal.
Accordingly, various references uncovered in the prior art provide devices that utilize the steering wheel with switches therein to permit the drivers of the vehicles to control signaling without removing their hands from the steering wheel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,560 to Jones discloses an apparatus which is activated by a switching mechanism in the steering wheel for illuminating a distinctive signal located on a rear portion of the motor vehicle to warn the driver of the following vehicle of a potentially hazardous situation.
Jones may provide some utility for illuminating a distinctive signal which embodies the illusion of light converging from a perimeter to an attention point, but is not useful for warning other drivers of a potentially hazardous situation because Jones only solves the problem in a limited way. For instance, the warning lights which Jones employs to warn drivers behind is limited only to the vehicle immediately behind. Chances are the drivers of the vehicles further back cannot see the flashing warning light and cannot apply their brakes in sufficient time to prevent the tailgate type motor vehicle accidents.
Moreover, the switching mechanism employed by Jones is ineffective. The switching mechanism includes a bladder-like member built into the confines of the steering wheel which is filled with fluid. When the bladder-like member is squeezed by the driver's hands, the fluid contained within the bladder-like member is depressed downward which then closes the electrical circuit and energizes the warning signals. The warning signals is intended to illuminate only when the driver is faced with impending danger and instinctively applies more than normal pressure on the steering wheel. However, the warning signal does not work in a consistent and predictable manner, since the amount of pressure necessary to activate the warning signal varies depending on the size of the driver's hands and depending on whether the driver is driving with one hand or with both hands.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.